Antique Japanese Boro Mat - Kasuri Bodoko

This is a Japanese bodoko, a small boro mat most likely used as a back padding or small seating cushion.

Boro literally translates as scraps or rags of cloth, patched and repaired many times over. Oftentimes longer than the lifetime of its owner.

In this this example several layers of old indigo kimono cottons and kasuri cloths have been hand stitched together. The wonderfully geometric front of the cloth shows a little over a dozen pieces; the reverse is composed of variegated indigo and solid natural cottons and highlights the sashiko stitching.

This boro cloth is rustically constructed and is without tears. It does have some slight staining to each side, as evidenced in the photos.